Berks County does not run a countywide property-maintenance or anti-blight code. Blight enforcement is handled by your municipality. The City of Reading enforces the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) and holds blighted-property hearings; townships and boroughs adopt their own IPMC ordinances under the PA MPC (53 P.S. §10101).
Pennsylvania land use runs through municipalities, not counties, under the Municipalities Planning Code (53 P.S. §10101). Berks County has no countywide blight or exterior-maintenance ordinance. Reading has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code and administers a property-maintenance and enforcement program: it inspects deteriorated properties, records complaints at the Citizen's Service Center, schedules blighted-property hearings, and issues Notices of Violation to push owners to rehabilitate. If you live in a township or borough, check that municipality's own adopted IPMC. The Berks County Planning Commission is advisory and reviews subdivision/land development where a municipality lacks its own ordinance; it does not police blight.
Municipal, not county. Reading issues Notices of Violation and can pursue blighted-property hearings; unresolved IPMC violations carry fines and possible legal action by the city.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
berks-county-pa
Backyard composting is legal and encouraged in Berks County. No county permit is needed for a home compost pile. Nuisance limits (odor, rodents) and setbacks...
berks-county-pa
Berks County does not regulate artificial turf. Whether synthetic lawn is allowed, and any stormwater or impervious-surface conditions, are set by your munic...
berks-county-pa
Berks County does not regulate native-plant or meadow landscaping. Whether a wildflower meadow is allowed — versus a tall-grass violation — depends on your m...
berks-county-pa
Rain barrels and cisterns are legal in Berks County — Pennsylvania places no restriction on collecting rainwater. The county encourages it as a stormwater be...
berks-county-pa
Berks County sets no routine watering schedule. Statewide, when the Governor declares a drought emergency, 4 Pa. Code §119.4 bans nonessential outdoor water ...
berks-county-pa
Berks County has no countywide weed ordinance. Noxious-weed and tall-vegetation rules are municipal — in Reading, weeds (with grass) must stay under 6 inches...
See how Berks County's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.